Volume 04 - Issue 02

Pages: 1-16

This article presents rationale and arguments for the presence of morals, values, ethics and character education in science curriculum and science teaching that benefits the society. The author examines how rapid technological advancements and globalisation are contributing to the complexities of social life and underpinning the importance of morals, values and ethics. Syntheses and analyses are presented to the philosophical and pedagogical questions related to morals, ethics and character education. A comparative study between the philosophical and theoretical basis of modern western moral education and the Islamic moral values and education is outlined. Various obstacles in teaching morals/ethics and implementing character education in sciences are discussed. A range of teaching, learning and pedagogical techniques are proposed that may foster morals, values and ethics in students’ minds and develop various skills and attributes necessary for future success in sciences.

Pages: 25-31

Problem solving strategies of eight pre‐service secondary school mathematics teachers
(PSSMTs) were examined in this study. A case study research design was employed and
clinical interview technique was used to collect the data. Materials collected for analysis
consisted of audiotapes and videotapes of clinical interviews, subjects’ notes and drawings,
and researchers’ notes during the interview. Strategies used by PSSMTs to solve a problem
called “the fencing problem” were identified. Findings of the study suggest that the
subjects used combinations of different strategies to solve problems. The implications of
the finding were also discussed.

Pages: 32-41

Blended courses or hybrid courses have gained popularity over the years due to the flexibility and convenience offered by such courses. Use of technology in the online component of the blended/hybrid courses is another influence particularly to the younger generation of learners who enjoy learning interactively in a virtual environment. However, depending on the subject matter and the type of learners, traditional classroom approach may be preferred to the hybrid approach. This paper discusses the perceptions of students of the face-to-face mode and the online mode in hybrid mathematics courses. Analysis shows that the students in this study preferred the face-to-face learning mode although they agree that the courses should be taught in a hybrid mode. In particular, they are more comfortable interacting with their peers and the instructor in the face-to-face learning mode and they find the face-to-face instructions enable them to learn and understand the mathematics concepts better.

Pages: 42-48

The paper examined the effects of a Technological Instructional Package (TIP) on secondary
school students’ performance in biology. The study adopted a pre‐test, post‐test
experimental control group design. The sample size of the study was 80 students from
Minna metropolis, Niger state, Nigeria; the samples were randomly assigned into
treatment group 40 (male = 18 and female = 22) and control 40 (male = 20, female = 20).
The researcher developed package was validated by experts. The data collection
instrument was a Biology Achievement Test which yielded a reliability coefficient of .74.
The treatment group was taught with TIP while the control group was taught with
traditional teaching methods. The data obtained were analyzed using split‐plot Analysis of
Variance (SPANOVA) and t‐test. The results of data analysis revealed there was an
interaction effect, treatment was effective in significantly improving students’
performance in the experimental group than the control group (F (1.78) =29. 89, p <. 05) in
the main effects. The TIP was found to be gender friendly (t = 3.93, df = 38, p > 0.05). Based
on the finding, it was recommended that teachers should be trained and encouraged to
employ technological resources in their classroom practices.

Pages: 49-58

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the parenting styles on social skills of children aged 5-6. The problem sentence of the research is; Do the parenting styles’ have any effects on social skills of children aged 5-6?. The sub-problems of the research are in the form as; Does the social skills of children aged 5-6 differs from according to the parenting styles such as democratic, oppressive-authoritarian, unconcerned-indifferent and over protective? In this research, the relational screening model was used that is a kind of a screening model. In the research with a study group that is consisted of 231 children and their parents, Parental Attitude Determination Survey and Social Skills Evaluation Scale (4-6 year olds) were used as a data collection tool. As a result of the research it is revealed that the democratic parental styles affects the social skills of the child positively and significantly, whereas the over protective parental styles affects negatively and significantly. Even though the over protective and oppressive-authoritarian parental styles affect in a negative manner, no significant difference was found.

Pages: 59-69

This paper discusses challenges encountered by selected Year Four science teachers
regarding their knowledge and implementation of skilful thinking (ST) in their classrooms.
ST is a complex concept comprising three elements; specific thinking strategies, habits of
mind and metacognitive thinking. Due of the complexity of ST, the implementation of
teaching of thinking skills in primary science is often overlooked. Subsequently, this has led
to students’ low achievements in tasks related to higher order thinking skills (HOTS). The
sample of this study consisted of nine novice teachers. Semi‐structured teacher interviews
and classroom observations were the primary sources of data for this study. The findings
revealed that the selected teachers lacked knowledge on ST and therefore were unable to
implement and infuse ST elements into their daily classroom practices. In addition, other
challenges ‐‐ such as classroom management, mixed ability students and lack of resources
‐‐ hindered teachers from implementing ST successfully in their classrooms. Implications
for science teacher education and in‐service professional development are discussed.

The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences (MOJES) strives to provide a national and international academic forum to meet the professional interests of individuals in various educational disciplines. It is a professional refereed journal in the interdisciplinary fields sponsored by the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. This journal serves as a platform for presenting and discussing a wide range of topics in Educational Sciences. It is committed to providing access to quality researches ranging from original research, theoretical articles and concept papers in educational sciences. In order to produce a high quality journal, extensive effort has been put into selecting valuable researches that contributed to the journal. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the editorial board, reviewers and researchers for their valuable contributions to make this journal a reality.

Professor Datuk Dr. Sufean Hussin, University of Malaya, Malaysia

April 2016

Editor in chief

Info

About

The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences (MOJES) is peer review, open access online publication addressing the current issues in the field of Educational Sciences. MOJES serves as a forum of researchers, staff and students to raise issues across disciplinary boundaries and facilitate exchange of views in the field of educational science. This journal is published electronically four times a year. Potential articles should be reviewed by members of an editorial board anonymously. The reviewing process usually takes three to eight weeks. Papers should be submitted to Assoc. Professor Datin Dr. Sharifah Norul Akmar Syed Zamr (snorul@um.edu.my) or Mr. Mohd Norazlin Bin Mansor (muhammad@um.edu.my ) electronically as a word-processed file.